Gerhardt Albion
Lord Gerhardt Albion '''(more commonly known as '''Albion The White),' ' was a Gilnean savagekin, nobleman and Alpha of the mysterious Cult of Ur. He fell during the War of the Thorns, after serving in a number of conflicts against the Legion and Horde. Appearance Being a savagekin, Albion was almost never seen upright. He spent nearly all of his time as either a cat or bear, both slightly lupine in nature and sporting his namesake white pelt. Notably, his bear form was often slightly humanoid, which may or may not have been the result of a magical gift during the war against the Legion. Worgen Form As a worgen, Gerhardt has snow white fur, and menacing blue eyes. Dawes often wears fur pelts, although it is not uncommon for him to wear the eloquent attire of his homeland, coupled with a tophat. Human Form Even in his human form, Gerhardt was known for being unsettlingly tall, although he had the face of a model. His skin was lightly tanned, and he wore his hair long, towards his shoulders. Lord Albion seemed to have a great appreciation for formal Gilnean attire, which he wore constantly in political meetings with the unafflicted. His outfit included a top hat and shaded spectacles, which rested just below two cold, blue eyes. Possessions Although his outfits may have varied, the Alpha kept his weapons on him at all times. Most notable were his fist weapons, two carved bear heads, their maws agape in a constant roar, ready to tear out the throats of all who dared oppose him. Following his rise to power, Albion kept the bloodied coat once worn by Alpha Prime as a symbol of his leadership. This would eventually be stained with his blood as well, during the War of the Thorns, and reclaimed by the Cult of Ur. Abilties .]] As a powerful savagekin, Gerhardt held many of the abilities of a typical Druid of the Claw, although to a much greater extent. His strength, agility and skill were such that his position as Alpha went unchallenged for nearly a decade until his untimely demise at the hands of the Horde. At the behest of his master, Lord Albion underwent frequent, painful rituals to enhance his power. Eventually, he mastered the ancient rites of the Druids of the Pack, and was able to shapeshift into Pack Form for short periods of time without going insane. History Early Life Gerhardt grew up as a nobleman, and his family frequently employed harvest witches to increase the crop yield of his vassals despite the poor soil of his land. These may or may not have included live sacrifices, something that would have been frowned upon by light-worshiping outsiders. His father fell against the Horde during the Second War, and the young Albion was left in charge of his manor and family. With this in mind, the young lord was very much in support of Greymane's decision to shut his nation off from the Alliance, thereby avoiding any further loss of Gilnean blood. He would valiantly serve the king during the Northgate Rebellion, using his command over nature to destroy the rebels. During the Scourge invasion of Gilneas, the Cult of the Damned managed to breach the wall on multiple occasions, using their gargoyles, frost wryms and even necropoli to bypass Gilnean defenses. As a result, Gerhardt's manor was besieged and his family fell to the plague. He began to lose faith in Greymane's ability to counteract this relentless invasion. Rise of the Wolf Cult Due to his reverence for Druidic magic, he was one of the first to be approached by Alpha Prime, who provided him with a more reliable means to combat the scourge, a "gift," of bestial wrath as a worgen. He told fantastic stories of a Wolf God's unmatched fury, and a rebellion against his mother moon, how that rebellion carried over to the conflict between he and his master, the pompous Malfurion Stormrage, who would seek to watch the world burn before he let his allies follow pathways he considered unnatural.Thoroughly convinced of this newfound strength, Lord Albion embraced the savage tenets of the Wolf Cult, becoming one of its principle members in Gilneas and using his influence as a noble to corrupt those around him. Among the Cult's tenets were a few he questioned from time to time, including a rite which involved aspirants brutally murdering a personal enemy to prove their loyalty. He himself underwent such a ritual, and was given a jagged scar across his back to remind him of this bloody affair. In addition, the Cult's ultimate plan was to "bless" Gilneas with the worgen curse against their will, likely slaying those who proved too resistant. Albion would later rationalize this by claiming that concepts such as freedom and individual lives were insignificant in the face of Gilneas' ultimate prosperity. Albion was unable to justify what came next. The Scourge made way for another relentless invasion, the Forsaken, who, with the assistance of the Cataclysm, were able bypass all of the kingdom's defenses. The white wolf found himself protecting his vassals from the undead, while also planning to unleash on them a devastating plague of his own. The final nail in the coffin came when it was revealed to Gerhardt that his Alpha had been plotting with the Forsaken for some time, and his true plans had little to do with the preservation of Gilneas. Shortly after this revelation, Alpha Prime was torn apart in a dramatic confrontation with the spirit of his fallen comrade, and Gerhardt was deprived of both direction and revenge. Due to the overwhelming guilt of his association with this traitor, Gerhardt resolved to descend into the front lines alone, determined to redeem himself in death. Meanwhile, with no Alpha to turn to, the indoctrinated denizens of the Wolf Cult descended into a series of petty, animalistic power struggles in their ruined kingdom. Cult of Ur Just as all seemed lost, Gerhardt and the remnants of the cult felt a mysterious, calling to the Blackwald. They were greeted by a humble figure a cloaked, geriatric worgen whose words had an unusual soothing quality to them. The stranger introduced himself as Morthrym Starspeaker, a former lieutenant to Fangfire who was betrayed by his Alpha as well. Starspeaker led a faction of dissident worgen known as the Cult of Ur for centuries, which shared many beliefs of the Wolf Cult. However, unlike their former master, Starspeaker believed the blessing of the Scythe was not a rejection of Elune's blessing by Goldrinn, but rather a reconciliation between the two. In addition, he showed a willingness to sacrifice his resources in the name of Gilneas and their newfound allies in the Alliance. The Wolfseer, as he would be called, came baring an offer: join his pack and the sins of the past would be forgotten. The transfixed worgen would ultimately turn to Albion for guidance, as he had been quite high up in its ranks and kept many of them as subjects during their human lives. His answer was a resounding, "yes". From then on, Starspeaker rallied the surviving members of the Wolf Cult behind the banner of Gilneas. Over the coming months, Gerhardt learned much from his new allies, including former Druids of the Scythe, who taught him how to master a multitude of forms, including his human one. He was grateful, and as a harvest witch he had a great respect for their advanced druidic magic. Unfortunately, tensions began to rise within Ur's ranks. The Cult's alpha, Bjorlam, an aging hunter from Northrend, considered this newcomer and his staggering amount of followers a challenge to his authority, and the Wolfseer's compliance as a sign that he had lost favor. In retaliation, he challenged Albion to single combat. However, he was overcome by Gerhardt's bear form and slain, his corpse devoured his former followers. In single brutal instant, Gerhardt ascended to the position of alpha. Legionfall Following the fall of Deathwing, the Cult of Ur would wage a brutal guerilla war against the Horde occupying Gilneas, deploying smaller groups elsewhere to combat threats of less import. Sir Aemon Bayne, a Gilnean knight, proved uncannily efficient at dispatching the Cult's followers in far away lands. This would continue for years, until the sudden invasion of the Legion. The Wolfseer was personally aware of the threat represented by the demons, and counciled Gerhardt to join forces with Greymane at the Broken Isles. For their relative size, the Cult was a distinguished force in the Armies of Legionfall, but took particular pleasure in thwarting the Forsaken's efforts in Stormheim. In addition to this conflict, the Cult also came into direct conflict with the Cenarion Circle on more than one occasion due to their seemingly incompatible beliefs. Over the course several years however, Albion had fostered a growing respect for his fellow druids. Even the Tauren, staunch supporters of the Horde, risked their life alongside their Elven companions. The Cult of Ur followed these heroes of Azeroth to Argus under the pretense of finishing the Legion, although they had plans of their own as well. Morthrym's scrying led him to the discovery that Kil'Jaeden brought back an artifact of particular significance to the Cult, the skull of the Wolf God Goldrinn. Deemed the Wolfskull, it was believed that if used properly this artifact could counteract the power of the Scythe of Elune, which had come into the possession of the Cenarion Circle following Sargeras' initial invasion. It was rumored that the skull was in possession of the mighty eredar lord Xulvaz Shadowmace, and the Cult Tracked the demon to Mac'aree, where, after a long battle with his army of hounds, he was slain. The Wolfskull would be returned to Azeroth following the fall of Antorus. War of the Thorns The War efforts of Azeroth's heroes, although successful, had a number of unforeseen consequences. As a result of the wounds Azeroth received from the Dark Titan, her lifeblood began leaking onto its surface, which turned out to be an extremely powerful asset to the Horde. Sylvanas, began a quick and brutal campaign to seize control of Northern Kalimdor from the Alliance, leaving piles of Elven corpses in her. Thus began her hunt for Malfurion Stormrage, Shan'do of the Cenarion Circle and the Night Elves. After counseling his master, it became clear to Gerhardt that much of the resentment for his former teacher remained. Thus, he was left with another choice: leave a less than appreciative ally defending his home to suffer in vain, or deploy his forces in another nigh hopeless battle against the wishes of his master. In the end, his choice was clear. The War of Thorns would prove to an absolute massacre for both the Alliance and the Cult of Ur, with the Alpha rescuing Night Elven survivors, but ultimately suffering a brutal and horrific demise. Albion the White is remembered by his pack as a selfless and valorous leader, willing to do what was necessary for the survival of his kind. Some surviving outsiders the battle claim that the oracle withdrew support from Alpha Albion, although this is universally disputed by the Cult. Category:Characters Category:Gilnean Category:Worgen Category:Druids Category:Deceased Category:Gilneas Peerage Category:Azerothian Heroes